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Not a Cavalier mom yet, but soon!!!

Hi everybody. I'm Helen, I'm 15 and I never had a pet before. Although, I've always loved animals, i just never had the chance to get one. Several months ago,after a health problem, I felt the need of adopting a life companion. So, i proposed it to my parents and (fortunately) they accepted it with enthusiasm, as they also wanted a pet.Shortly after, I started searching for breeds and I saw the beautiful,joyful,playful and amazing Cavalier King Charles Spaniel! It was love at first sight!!!Moreover, as a kid of technology and willing to find as much as possible about the breed, I discovered some awful things . I never imagined that pet shops were buying their puppies from horrible places like puppy mills or back yard breeders. I didn't even know about puppy mills or bybs, how people treat the puppies' poor mothers and that they are doomed to be bred until their death .Thanks God I always search before making a decision, because if I hadn't, I may now have been with a puppy mill dog, with possible inherited diseases(like epilepsy or even worse siringomyelia and MVD) or morva and parvo. Anyway, my family and I contacted our kennel club( my country is in FCI),they were only 2 breeders, we contacted both, but visited only the one(the other was very far, in an island to be exact), both gave us the best impressions and both of them have perfect and the most important healthy and happy dogs . Now we're waiting for the mating and the litter is expected at the end of May. We want a Blenheim girl, I hope we'll be lucky . Finally, I'd like to ask some questions:
1) I know that Cavaliers need brushing and combing,but I saw that some trim them. Is that right?
2) Only puppies need scissoring in their paws or adults too?
3)How often should I clean their eyes and ears(and with what) ?
4)What kind of dog shampoo should I use and how often should I bathe them?
5)Is one hour walk(except the playing) good?
6)Which dog food would u suggest?, because I know that the good ones are the ones with proteins and no carbohydrates, but I don't want to make my puppy overweight.
7)I live in a country, where in summer the temperature reaches 109 F(43 C), what can I do to protect them while we'll be travelling by car(from 10 min-2 hours)? What crate size do u suggest me to buy?

Hi Helen! First I want to tell you WOW amazing that at he age of 15 you have in good sense to do your research in the breed you want. You are wise beyond your years!!!! Smart kid.

Let me start be answer your questions?

1) I know that Cavaliers need brushing and combing,but I saw that some trim them. Is that right? Your cavalier will be a pet you can trim however you like....personally I like the cavalier natural look but if you can't keep up with their long feet then have them trimmed totally up to you.
2) Only puppies need scissoring in their paws or adults too? You are going to want to learn how to trim the fur between their toes or find a groomer who can do it. Yes for pups and adults.
3)How often should I clean their eyes and ears(and with what) ? You can wipe any tear drippings from their eyes with a wet paper towel (just water) if your cavalier is have running eye A LOT this is something you want to check out with a vet. As for year ears I steer away from using products just warm water you need to know how too watch out for signs of infection. Fletcher (my cavalier) is 9 months old and I have cleaned his ears once.
4)What kind of dog shampoo should I use and how often should I bathe them? People have a lot of opinions about dog/puppy shampoo and how often to bathe- personally I think all about personal preference, ask your breed what he/she recommends as far a product. I bathe Fletcher about once a month or when I must (like he got pretty muddy the other day) if you bathe too often you can dry out their skin and cause itching and problems.
5)Is one hour walk(except the playing) good? Every pup/dog is different but its VERY important for cavaliers to be fit. Also I'm a firm believer that a well exercised has less behavior problems. A tired dog and a happy one.
6)Which dog food would u suggest?, because I know that the good ones are the ones with proteins and no carbohydrates, but I don't want to make my puppy overweight. Exactly an overweight cavalier is NEVER A GOOD THING this is a question for your breeder. Watch out for treats too.... Since this is your first dog (Fletcher is my first puppy) I decided to feed kibble and fresh fruits and veggies (strawberries, melon, blueberries, baby carrots, frozen green beans) be careful ask here before you feed any "people food" there are so many owners on here who know SO MUCH about great things to feed your dog.
7)I live in a country, where in summer the temperature reaches 109 F(43 C), what can I do to protect them while we'll be travelling by car(from 10 min-2 hours)? What about air conditioning??? Does the car have it? If so just make sure puppy's travel create is somewhere in the car that is air conditioned. NEVER LEAVE HIM INSIDE A CLOSED UP CAR EVEN FOR A SECOND. Since you live in a hot climate you are going to have the learn the signs of heat related illnesses in dogs and learn to take precautions like water water water and I have used a baby stroller fan as well for Fletcher. My cavalier LOVES to swim hopefully yours will too. We were able to take Fletcher to the beach, kayaking, and we spend some super fun afternoons in the backyard pool.

What crate size do u suggest me to buy? I had a hard time with this too. Fletcher has an ICrate made by Midwest its 30 inches long, 19 inches wide and 21 inches tall. It is big for him but I'm glad it is. Also you may want to set up an X pen area for your pup, a tip that WORKS so well its pictured and explained in the Dunbar books listed below.

Check around this site there is a free downloadable book (actually 2) by Ian Dunbar "Before You Get Your Puppy" and "After You Get Your Puppy" that are wonderful. Follow his advice....helped me a lot.

I hope I answered your questions. Please do check around the forums there is a TON of great information here.

Melissa
"If you don't own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life."
-Roger Caras

1) I know that Cavaliers need brushing and combing,but I saw that some trim them. Is that right?Grooming daily will keep their coats looking their best, trimming the fur on the pads of their feet is needed. They will matt easily if not kept in check
2) Only puppies need scissoring in their paws or adults too?Nail clipping should be done every 4-6 weeks depending on how fast they grow, overgrown nail will lead to foot problems and pain.
3)How often should I clean their eyes and ears(and with what) ?I get a product from our vet for cleaning the ears, it's made by VET Solutions. For the eyes, I've only just wiped them clean in the morning with a damp facecloth.
4)What kind of dog shampoo should I use and how often should I bathe them?For shampoo, I used a good quality shampoo that doesn't contain Sulfates, parabens, waxes.
5)Is one hour walk(except the playing) good?Puppies will tire easily, just take your time and increase your walk based on how the dog does.
6)Which dog food would u suggest?, because I know that the good ones are the ones with proteins and no carbohydrates, but I don't want to make my puppy overweight.I liked to use grainfree with less fillers in them and good quality human grade meat in them. I used to use Evo until Purina bought them out, then I went with Orejen (canadian)
7)I live in a country, where in summer the temperature reaches 109 F(43 C), what can I do to protect them while we'll be travelling by car(from 10 min-2 hours)?Where do you live? When traveling in a car temps can exceed the outside temps, Air Conditioning is a good idea, and never leave a dog in a car they overheat very fast. Lots of water for the trip and stop often to get out and check on dog. What crate size do u suggest me to buy?I think mine is a medium 24"Long x 16 or 18"Wide, I also made a barrier for the crate depending on the growth of the dog.
Sorry for my long post.

P.S. Sorry for any mistakes, I'm not a native speaker

You did great, better than some people who's first language is English! It's great that you are doing your research prior to getting a dog. I'm sure that others will be by to add any additional information that will be helpful.

Thank everyone for your answers, you helped me a lot! I'm from Greece and you can imagine how hot the climate is here [it's 8 pm now and it has 20oC (68F)]. We have air conditioning in the car, but you cannot have it for 2 hours, because it isn't good for car's engine. If i buy an electric little fan and have lots of water with me is she going to be okay? She won't have problem when i''l be in my city, but every summer I go to my summer house, which is in an island and the port, where you get the boat is 2 hours from here. This trip is my only concern because at this time she will be a puppy. We won't have problem either in the boat because it has air conditioning either in my house. It's the car trip that I'm afraid of. Mid when you say orijen? I have heard that is an excellent food, but I have also heard that many dogs can't digest it because it has lots of protein. Thank you again for the answers

I prefer a harness instead of a collar. How much food? It depends if you feed a lot of fresh fruits and veggies the bag of kibble will go longer but.... a bag (8 pounds) last us about 2 weeks give or take. Your breeder and vet will recommend an amount of food per day/meal.

I would LOVE to visit Greece! All the history and culture, the FOOD! Super cool.

Melissa
"If you don't own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life."
-Roger Caras

To have the best bet of getting a healthy puppy that grows into a healthy adult dog, be sure to read through the puppy buying guides and links that are in the right hand column on the main forum homepage. Unfortunately this is a breed with several serious health issues -- in particular you want to be sure your chosen breeder MRIs her breeding dogs, uses a cardiologist (not just a vet) to check hearts, and follows the SM and MVD breeding protocols (for example parents dogs should be at least 2.5 years old, they should be heart clear within a year of the mating; they parents on both sides should both have been heart clear till at age 5; at least one dog should have scanned as an A grade dog for syringomyelia, etc). The breeder should also check eyes and patellas, ideally also xray hips.

It can be complicated to understand the needed tests and the protocols, hence we link to a number of sites that help in understanding all of this.

Be sure to take out insurance on your dog, and be sure it is a policy that covers genetic illness.

Many vets have said to me that it is much better to use a harness on a small breed than a collar. Using collars in any dog, is linked to trachea and spinal problems, and as there is a high degree of syringomyelia in cavaliers, and syrinixes tend to form around the neck, some neurologists say it is definitely better not to walk cavaliers on collars that may put pressure on the neck area. But you will want a comy collar (never a choke chain) with identifying tags of course! ).

There are millions of opinion on food. I feed some kibble but prefer prepared raw or cooked diets. I think that since with people there's lots of evidence that eating processed foods is not healthy as a sole source of food, and fresh foods are extremely important to a good diet, that this must extend to dogs as well. Kibble is a highly processed food that has to have vitamins added back in artificially.

Firstly thank u for the answers Karlin . As I said before we have already chosen breeder and as I've seen here the breeder follows that protocol(glad she does). Our breeder in her over 15 years of breeding she had only one case with sm and the dog unfortunately passed away . I hope I'm going to be lucky. And I never put a choke chain in my dog, dog must learn things positively and not negatively from my point of view.